Related

The intricate patterns and beautiful colours of woven oriental rugs have mesmerized Suzanne Spahi since the childhood moment when, watching TV, she saw two kids swooping over a city on a flying carpet.

"The colour of these rugs fascinated me and I told myself when I got older I would want a mosaic of rugs in my home," she says.

Now she has just that, and more. A mosaic artist/teacher and owner of Mosaïkashop, a school, gallery and boutique, she has covered the floor of her loft in Little Italy with the many rugs she purchased when living in Dubai.

"I bought kilim rugs, very simple Bedouin-style rugs. I really like the reds and the blues and the touches of fuchsia and pink."

Rugs also appear on the walls of the loft in the form of mosaics that Spahi has created, including a reproduction of an antique kilim rug that appears in a tapestry, and an intricate mosaic of a Kazhak rug - the first rug she did in mosaic that was selected last year for an international mosaic festival in Ravenna. "It took nine months to make that mosaic," she said.

She has made her home in the loft space for four years, and it has lived up to its publicized goal of being a place for artists, Spahi says.

There's a recording studio, a design company and advertising agency here, as well as studio homes for artists and musicians.

She and partner Vittorio Dilallo, also a mosaic artist, both work on their projects in a corner of the loft set aside for that purpose: two long mosaic tables with shelves below for their material, placed in an L-shape underneath the six-foot tall windows.

That L-shape is reproduced across the room in the living space, with a low sofa in dark blue backed with cushions covered with material cut from a rug she brought from the Middle East. "I like the reds, pinks and beiges," Spahi says.

"And in front of them I've placed a collection of smaller Persian cushions and some Egyptian hand-embroidered pillows."

She a rice table from India as a coffee table, the space inside for sorting rice filled with dried flowers that exude a lovely scent, and topped with a Turkish copper tray and lots of books. " I like to have my books for inspiration," Spahi says.

"And I have quite a rich collection of books on rugs."

The large collection of artwork that covers the walls - leaving room to hang more up to the 12-foot-high ceilings - was assembled gradually, Spahi says. "I add to it, then sometimes my mother or friends will give me advice to rearrange it." She has created a composition of family photographs in black and white, framed in gold and wood, a stained-glass mirror from Egypt, two oil paintings of boats done by her mother at age 16 and a striking portrait of Spahi done by wellknown Montreal artist Alexandra Pennycook.

Rug portraits in water colour and mosaic are placed closer to eye level on the cream-coloured wall, along with various whimsical ensembles - a mosaic pear, an embroidered camel rug next to a mosaic of a camel, a mosaic reproduction of an old Coptic fabric, another of a bird from a painting by Freda Kahlo and her beautiful Kazhak rug.

In her work and teaching, Spahi uses smalti, a thick opaque coloured glass mosaic in the Byzantine style and millefiori, glass rods cut into little rounds like beans with a motif on the inside, and even her leftovers are used in art pieces.

"On occasion, just to relax, I do these mosaic flowers using pieces from a tin box containing leftovers," she says. "I assemble them in colour groups, because I'm always trying to practice my knowledge of the gradations of colours, then put magnets on the back."

Even the refrigerator door in her functional kitchen space - with its stainless steel appliances, stained cupboards and stone countertops - might be used as a backdrop for an arrangement of small floral pieces created from Spahi's mosaic leftovers.

Born in Quebec, of Syrian, Turkish, Tunisian and Egyptian ancestry, Spahi has travelled extensively and collected objects, historical knowledge and inspiration.

As she and Dilallo work on their mosaic projects in the early mornings or evenings, their work space is separated from the dining area - with its wrought-iron, mosaic-topped table - by a slender storage cabinet and above it a wall mounting of colourful plates from all the cities she has visited around the world.

donnanebenzahl@ videotron.ca

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.